A thirteen-year-old girl was raped by a 21-year-old man across two states, news agency ANI reported. The accused is believed to have met the girl on social media.
The agency reported that the man took the minor to Mumbai's Andheri, where he raped her first, before taking her to Gujarat and raping her there again.
The girl reportedly returned home after a few days and informed the family of the incident. She also showed them a picture of the man on Instagram, after which the family lodged a complaint at the Vakola police station.
"Case registered against the accused under sections 4, 8 and 12 of POCSO act for kidnapping and rape accused has been arrested," ANI reported the police as saying.
This comes at a time when widespread protests are occurring across India over the horrific rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata's R G Kar hospital.
In Maharashtra, too, the recent sexual assault of two minors in Badlapur outraged the people, leading to protests. The Bombay High Court has now taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and will hear the case today.
More to follow...